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Observing Tips for Beginners

2

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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭francie81


    peterako wrote: »
    Ok...so it seems that the scope you have is on a straight-forward EQ (Equatorial/German Equatorial) mount.

    No computer control(?) so no software to run it(?).

    Some good places to start to learn about how to set this up are:

    1. The manual
    2. Astro Baby's great 'How to' Section
    3. Try set it up and experiment.

    :)

    If you do 3 straight away we're here to help with specific questiions (or rather...answers to specific questions :) )

    It's really not too hard. Teh instructions for these things make it look like 'Rocket Science' but it's not.

    I started with my first scope by just pointing the thing towards the Moon.

    After that I started roughly Polar Aligning, so that I coudl track the Moon etc.

    I've never accurately Polar Aligned, and have not seen the need for it....yet....as long as I'm roughly set up with Polaris.

    Astro Baby's site is great!

    Clear skies,
    Peter

    Thats peter I think it is one of those what really confuses me is the computer software that came with it, so your saying if I get my manual and go there I can learn it quick time?

    Am waiting for nice clear nights now to just go out and do what you done and point it to the heavens, but seeing as am living in a built up area with street lights surely isn't a great location?

    Thanks,
    Francie


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16 Geminian


    this is a really good post, thanks! someone mentioned blackrock observatory in cork, does anyone know any observatories in the east? the only one i know is the one in armagh?


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 1,421 Mod ✭✭✭✭slade_x


    Geminian wrote: »
    this is a really good post, thanks! someone mentioned blackrock observatory in cork, does anyone know any observatories in the east? the only one i know is the one in armagh?

    Dunsink Observatory and the Rosse six foot telescope Are the most easterly observatories i am aware of

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunsink_Observatory
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan_of_Parsonstown
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markree_Observatory
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackrock_Castle / http://www.bco.ie/

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armagh_Observatory / http://www.arm.ac.uk/


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,599 ✭✭✭ScrubsfanChris


    Seemed better to ask here than start a new thread..

    I'm looking to buy a telescope after getting fed up with my current pair of binoculars.
    I first looked at some GoTo scopes but it seems like a lazy way of going about things, and you wont learn much getting a computer to do it all for you.

    The selection on some site is huge and I'm just not sure on how to go about things, I know the basics to look out for like aperture and focal length, but not much about what the best brands are and build qualities.

    My budget is around €300, mostly will be looking at the Moon and planets, nothing OTT.
    Thanks in advance...


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 the quick fix


    Seemed better to ask here than start a new thread..

    I'm looking to buy a telescope after getting fed up with my current pair of binoculars.
    I first looked at some GoTo scopes but it seems like a lazy way of going about things, and you wont learn much getting a computer to do it all for you.

    The selection on some site is huge and I'm just not sure on how to go about things, I know the basics to look out for like aperture and focal length, but not much about what the best brands are and build qualities.

    My budget is around €300, mostly will be looking at the Moon and planets, nothing OTT.
    Thanks in advance...



    Hey I got the astromaster 90EQ off astronomy Ireland for I think it was 200 euros and I have seen the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus so far and they look great through it to be honest. The orion nebula looks great through it and binary system stars. I am going a bit off topic here but you should check out Sirius, appears as blue and red stars looks great, still to find andromeda galaxy through it which you should be able to see but it is hard to find.
    I was committed to trying to figure out the right ascension and declination and I thought i had it figured out but it never really worked for me even though in fairness to astronomy Ireland when I went to them they did explain it well it was just I could not do it myself so now I just rely on constellations and stellarium to figure out where to find stars and planets.
    My advice would be head down to the astronomy Ireland shop they give good advice and its not like lets sell him the worst most expensive telescope. Hope any of this helps.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 181 ✭✭GlennGeo


    Hey guys looking for a bit of help here! I got a skylux 70/700 of a friend and it's seems that there is dirt on the lenses. I need to no can these be replaced as they are interfering with the view when I look through .

    Cheers guys
    Glenn


  • Registered Users Posts: 17 David Teacher


    Really great post, thank you.

    Also, just wanted to know if there's someone good to follow on twitter with regards to astronomy happenings in Ireland. I always seem to miss things like meteor showers, and only hear about them afterwards....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,419 ✭✭✭cowboyBuilder


    It was a clear night here in Barcelona and could see Jupiter, I grabbed my binocs and could clearly see 3 moons ... it was magical ..

    I need to get into a dark sky area one night and just gaze upwards!!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭Jan_de_Bakker


    I went out for a stroll the other night in a dark sky area and Orion was magical !!
    A few months back I was in an even darker area (famous for it in fact) and was wondering why I couldn't see it - seems Orion is visible only during the winter !

    Learning new things all the time.

    Question - sites seem to say Orion is in the SW sky , yet it was in the SE .... I confirmed this on Stellarium ??

    so all these sites are wrong or what ?

    403440.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 228 ✭✭murphyme2010


    Hello Jan,

    It depends on the time of day as well as time of year.

    Orion is rising in the east at 8PM in the South at midnight and setting at 4AM (ish).

    A sky-guide will typically say whether it's for the evening, midnight or morning.

    Michael.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    Another great cross platform open source program is KStars. Found it much easier to use compared to Stellarium.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    as we go through lockdown i've been considering getting a beginners telescope kit

    is this a good deal ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    fryup wrote: »
    as we go through lockdown i've been considering getting a beginners telescope kit

    is this a good deal ?

    Seems like a cheap toy but then again I've based that on the price of the good stuff. You would probably get a better magnification looking trough an empty kitchen roll :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    well for a person (me) who's only gonna use it say half a dozen times a year..is it worth a punt, i mean it comes with a free nature telescope ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    fryup wrote: »
    well for a person (me) who's only gonna use it say half a dozen times a year..is it worth a punt, i mean it comes with a free nature telescope ?

    Looks like you have already made the decision!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭ps200306


    Dr Pepper wrote: »
    Ecliptic
    This is the imaginary line that the Sun traces as it moves across the sky. It is like a big arc that starts at the horizon in the East and is at it's highest point in the South and then finishes at the horizon in the West. Its exact shape and height in the sky depend on your location (latitude) on Earth and the time of year. For us in the Northern hemisphere, it is at its highest around June 21st (Summer Solstice) and at it's lowest around December 21st (Winter Solstice). This ecliptic is very important in astronomy because pretty much all of the objects in our Solar system (the Moon, planets and asteroids) are visible on or around the same line - So like the Sun, all of the these objects rise in the East, are at their highest to the South and set in the West. It makes sense if you think about it because most of the objects in the Solar System lie in a roughly flat plane (a big disc with the Sun at the center). The 12 signs of the Zodiac are constellations which appear all the way around the ecliptic.
    I just noticed the very first tip on this thread is wrong. It's an easy mistake to make. The ecliptic is the annual path of the Sun. Since the Sun must be on the ecliptic at all times, the ecliptic line must be the path the Sun takes across the sky during the day, right? Well, no, actually.

    The Sun only moves one degree along the ecliptic each day. If the ecliptic and the diurnal arc were the same thing, the Sun would be almost stationary in the sky. The Sun is on the ecliptic at all times, but the diurnal arc only intersects it at one point at any given time. The ecliptic line itself moves and rotates throughout the day. Stellarium can provide a good visualisation.

    One consequence of the rotating ecliptic is its effect on the visibility of the inferior planets. They are most visible when at their greatest angular distance from the Sun, all other things being equal. But if the ecliptic happens to be low to the horizon so will be the planets, even at maximum elongation. Whereas if the ecliptic is high in the sky the planets will be more elevated.

    Venus has been a spectacular evening star for many months now. Even as it moves back toward the Sun, it is still very conspicuous. That's partly because in spring time, the ecliptic is low to our horizon in the morning but high in the sky in the evening. So Venus's elongation on the ecliptic also keeps it at a decent altitude long after sunset.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,393 ✭✭✭Jaden


    Was hoping this would be Turn Left at Orion, was not disappointed.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,802 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    Not sure if the right forum or not, but don't want to start a thread for it as many of the regular readers of this might think "So what".
    I just thought I had to post after looking outside there before heading to bed.

    To the north, nearly sure it's Venus but can't think I have ever seen anything as bright in the night sky before. It is dazzling. Like a headlight.

    Now I'm nearly sure I seen it on the way home from a night shift once a few years ago, in fact I stopped to take a photo as it was so bright, but tonight it's on a different level.

    And then I got to the other side of the house, and the moon is the brightest I have ever seen it. Is there something up with the atmosphere tonight? Why are these 2 objects so bright?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭ps200306


    Probably should be a separate thread. However, you're not wrong. The skies do seem to be very clear at the moment but the moon and Venus are very bright in their own right anyway. The moon is full later today and it's a "supermoon" due to being near its closest point to us in its orbit while full. It's up to 30% brighter than when full at apogee. Venus is also exceptionally bright -- by far the brightest thing in the sky after the Sun and Moon at well below magnitude -4. If you could see it through a small telescope it's only a 20% illuminated crescent, but like the moon it's getting closer to us as it is about to overtake us on the inside in its faster orbit. We'll see it get closer and closer to the sunset until it disappears altogether later in the month.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    The moon is not full(full) until Wednesday into Thursday is only ~97% tonight but seems brighter because it is closer. Though the 2500km or so further away it will be on Thursdays might make a little bit of difference for luminosity. This evenings moon is ~400km further away than the last supermoon (Apr 8th). Interestingly there is a closer Supermoon on June 2nd (compared to Apr 8th 364,301km), @364,235km but ~82% luminosity. Should be a nice sight When setting 3am.

    Venus would have been North West. You should see it transition with Mercury on 20th/21st of May.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    when does saturn come into view in irish skies??


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    fryup wrote: »
    when does saturn come into view in irish skies??

    Already is in view should see it in the early hours, rises about 2.30am tonight SE after Jupiter which is brighter, Saturn will be just to the left of Jupiter but not as bright, Mars is also further left at a later time. It will be High in the south just before dawn depending on where you are in the country of course. I'm in Dublin.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    and what time in the year is the best to see saturn ? say before midnight?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    fryup wrote: »
    and what time in the year is the best to see saturn ? say before midnight?

    Around July/August, You'll see it better in Winter though it sets earlier. Around 18th of December it will move behind Jupiter.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭ps200306


    Already is in view should see it in the early hours, rises about 2.30am tonight SE after Jupiter which is brighter, Saturn will be just to the left of Jupiter but not as bright, Mars is also further left at a later time. It will be High in the south just before dawn depending on where you are in the country of course. I'm in Dublin.
    That's actually a good illustration of a point made earlier ... when Venus was popping out at sunset tonight the ecliptic was inclined around 45 degrees to the horizon, putting Venus high in the sky. When Jupiter, Saturn and Mars have risen they'll be "beside each other" because the ecliptic will have rotated so it's only inclined about 15 degrees to the horizon at that time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    when does Venus become big & bright in northern hemisphere skies?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    fryup wrote: »
    when does Venus become big & bright in northern hemisphere skies?

    Will be very close to the sun this year so not until September/October will you see it but it will be fairly close to the horizon also. Nothing much happening with planets this year. Good time to stock up on planetary gear also!


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    not till sept/oct?? but it was this time last year it was like a lightbulb in the sky


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,325 ✭✭✭iLikeWaffles


    fryup wrote: »
    not till sept/oct?? but it was this time last year it was like a lightbulb in the sky

    Yeah but it doesn't work like that. Jupiter, Saturn and Mars have different and larger orbits around the sun you see. Jupiter's orbit is 12 of our Earth Years, Saturn's is 29 years. Mercury and Venus are closer to the sun and orbit at a different rate 88 days and 225 days respectively it is only in this time when Mercury and Venus are at elongation to the sun (furthest points compared to our view) that they can be seen when it is dark or getting dark or becoming light and they rise above the horizon. So it is rather complicated. When Venus is about 40° from the sun in terms of Earths perspective it's the best time to see but it is never going to be the exact same view we see.

    For instance the Great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in December only happens every 400 or so years it was literally the first time in History that it would have been seen and shared by many people, as far as we know - the last time it happened telescopes were only invented and it would have been too close to the sun also to be seen. They only conjunct (perceived to be close to one another) like that every 20 years or so but this is never quiet the same - they could be at a different angle and not as close etc.

    Highly recommend using Stellarium to see when stuff will be in view. It's free to download. You can fast forward or rewind time. Will give you a better idea of what is what.


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